The first fire came in at 1:05 p.m. to a home located in the 100 block of NW 83rd Street. The occupant was home with his dog when workers laying insulation in the attic noticed smoke and everyone evacuated the home. When firefighters arrived they found smoke pouring from both sides of the 2-story home. The firefighters entering the home experienced high heat. Crews fought the fire from both the interior and exterior while ladder companies cut holes in the roof to vent the charged smoke from the structure. It took 40 minutes to completely extinguish the flames.

The cause was accidental, mechanical damage of electrical wiring system during the installation of insulation. The damage estimate is $70,000. There were no injuries.

The Red Cross was called to provide assistance to one adult male, one adult female and one child.

Due to temperatures reaching 90 degrees, misting fans were deployed in the firefighter rehabilitation area to cool fire crews off.

Boat Fire

At 1:30 firefighters were called to the 7300 block of 4th Avenue South to a 75 foot tug boat with a fire in the bow. Workers welding below deck ignited insulation in the boat. It took crews about 30 minutes to control the fire.

There were no injuries.

Capitol Hill Fire

At 4:15 p.m. firefighters were called to an apartment complex in the 1800 block of Broadway East. When crews arrive they found everyone had evacuated the 3-story apartment complex. Crews were able to extinguish an exterior deck fire on the second floor. The flames extended to an adjacent wall but did not make their way into the building. The cause of the fire was combustible oil left on the deck which ignited.

There were no injuries.

Central District Fire

At 4:40 p.m. multiple 911 calls came into Firefighter /Dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center reporting flames and smoke coming from a 2-story apartment building with basement in the 5090 block of 27th Avenue in the Central District. When firefighters arrived, they found a wall of flames coming from the front of the complex. Several residents had to evacuate the complex and run through flames coming from the front porch. Several animals were trapped inside the burning structure.

The incident commander called for a second alarm bringing in nearly 80 firefighters to the scene. The extra resources were needed to rotate crews in and out of the burning building due to the hot weather.

Firefighters were able to save a Chihuahua and two cats. A third cat was missing. Fire crews found the dog and one cat in a first floor apartment. The fire investigator found the second cat hiding in the basement laundry room. Medics evaluated and treated the pets for smoke inhalation. The pets were transported to a nearby pet hospital to be checked out by veterinarians.

It took 20 minutes for fire crews to control the flames.

A fire investigator determined the cause to be accidental, the result of improperly discarded smoking materials placed in a plastic pot on the front porch of the home. The damage estimate is $255,000.

There were no injuries.

University District Fire

Photo courtesy of John Odegard

Photo courtesy of John Odegard

At 6:12 p.m. firefighters were dispatched to the 5200 block of 11th Avenue NE for a back porch fire that was extending into a house. When firefighters arrived they found an enclosed back porch full involved with flames extending to their home, to their neighbor’s shed and exposing to a townhome to the south. The fire extended into the attic of the home.

All of the occupants safely evacuated.

It took fire crews 25 minutes to control the flames and 35 minutes to completely extinguish the fire.

The fire investigator determined the cause was accidental, the result of improperly discarded smoking materials in a planter pot on a wooden deck. The damage estimate is $70,000.

There were no injuries.

Ravenna Fire

Photo courtesy of John Odegard

At 7:13 p.m. firefighters were dispatched to the 6500 block of Ravenna Avenue NE for reporting of black smoke coming from the roof of a 2-story building. Firefighters extinguished the flames within two minutes of arriving on scene.

July 2—A two-alarm fire at two Beacon Hill homes is still under investigation.

On Wednesday July 1 at 9 p.m., multiple 911 calls poured into the Fire Alarm Center reporting a loud explosion and fire at a home locate in the 3500 block of S Portland Street.

While responding, Engine Company 33 saw a large column of black smoke rising from the fire scene. The firefighters arrived to find flames shooting from a two-story home. Flames extended from the home of origin to the nearby trees and then to a home to the west. Firefighters called for a two-alarm fire doubling the resources to help battle two homes on fire.

Two adult males safely evacuated the home of origin. One occupant attempted to extinguish the fire with a garden hose but the fire was too intense. Firefighters conducted a search and rescue operation of both homes but did not find anyone inside.

Power lines were down causing an electrical safety hazard for the firefighters. Seattle City Light arrived and turned off power to both homes.

At the height of the fire there were 72 firefighters and 31 fire apparatus on scene.

It took firefighters 15 minutes to knock down the fire in both homes. Within 35 minutes the fire was under control. It was an hour and 15 minutes before the flames were completely extinguished.

Investigators determined the cause of the explosions were three propane tanks that caught fire and exploded.

The damage to the primary structure was $150,000 to the structure and $50,000 to the contents. The exposure damage to the home to the west was assessed at $75000 to the structure.

Red Cross was called to assist two adult males with temporary housing after they were displaced by the fire.

There were no injuries.

]]>http://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/07/02/two-alarm-fire-damages-two-beacon-hill-homes/feed/0South Seattle Fire Determine to be Intentionally Sethttp://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/05/19/south-seattle-fire-determine-to-be-intentionally-set/
http://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/05/19/south-seattle-fire-determine-to-be-intentionally-set/#commentsWed, 20 May 2015 04:23:20 +0000http://fireline.seattle.gov/?p=4504May 19–Seattle Fire Investigators determined a fire inside a two-story South Seattle home is an intentionally set fire.

At 3:45 p.m. a passerby called 911 to report smoke coming from the home located in the 10400 block of 67th Avenue South. Simultaneously, the Seattle Police Department responded after the homeowner called 911 to report a burglary.

When Engine Company 33 arrived on scene they found smoke and flames coming from the first floor of the two-story home with basement. The front door of the home was open when firefighters arrived on scene.

Firefighters searched the house and did not find any occupants inside. Later, the owners arrived at the fire scene and they indicated they were not living in the home during a remodeling project.

The fire began in the living room of the house and extended to the walls and ceiling causing spreading though the void spaces. Firefighters prevented the fire from extending to the rest of the house. It took 20 minutes to completely extinguish the flames. The first and second floor of the home suffered smoke damage.

]]>http://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/05/19/south-seattle-fire-determine-to-be-intentionally-set/feed/0Seattle Firefighters Rescue Driver Trapped in Car after Collision with Trainhttp://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/04/20/seattle-firefighters-rescue-driver-trapped-in-car-after-collission-with-train/
http://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/04/20/seattle-firefighters-rescue-driver-trapped-in-car-after-collission-with-train/#commentsMon, 20 Apr 2015 18:55:10 +0000http://fireline.seattle.gov/?p=4481April 20- Seattle Firefighter worked for 15 minutes to extricate a driver of a car struck by a light rail train at 7150 M L King Jr Way S.

The initial 911 call came into the Fire Alarm Center at 11:13 a.m. reporting the car versus train collision with the driver of the car trapped. A light pole had also fallen on top of the car which was jammed between a guardrail and the train.

During the rescue operation, all four lanes of traffic on South MLK Jr. Way South was shut down between South Myrtle Street and South Othello Street. Also, all Link train service along the tracks near MLK Jr Wy South were temporarily halted to allow firefighters a safe working space to extricate the driver of the car.

Medics transported the conscious and alert 50-year old male driver of the car to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition with complaints of neck and back pain.

At 12:53 p.m. firefighters were called to Rainier Avenue South and South Massachusetts Street for a car rescue. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found a pickup truck with a smashed-in driver’s door. The female driver was trapped in the driver’s seat of the extended cab pickup. Ladder Company 3 cut the roof off of the pickup truck and took the driver’s side door off in order to extricate the female driver. The woman was conscious and alert. The approximately 30-year-old driver suffered a cut to her head. Medics evaluated her and transported her to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition.

By the time firefighters arrived, the three children, whose ages range from 2 to 6-years-old, and the male passenger were already outside the car. All 4 patients were evaluated by Medics and did not require further treatment. The three children were secured in car seats at the time of the accident.

Three passengers on the bus were evaluated for minor injuries and did not need treatment or transport.

The Seattle Police Department is conducting an investigation into the cause of the accident.

]]>http://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/03/07/firefighters-extricate-driver-from-truck-vs-bus-collision-on-rainier-avenue-south/feed/0Tour Bus Fire Under Investigationhttp://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/02/23/tour-bus-fire-under-investigation/
http://fireline.seattle.gov/2015/02/23/tour-bus-fire-under-investigation/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 23:58:26 +0000http://fireline.seattle.gov/?p=4469February 23- The cause of a fire inside the engine compartment of a bus parked at a bus maintenance yard remains under investigation.

At 8:33 p.m. Sunday night, workers at the lot located in the 4500 block of West Marginal Way SW saw smoke and fire coming from a coach that was parked inside the lot. The workers called 911 and directed firefighters to the burning tour bus.

Engine Company 11 arrived to find flames coming from both sides of the rear engine compartment of the coach with the flames exposing to a bus parked nearby. Firefighters were able to contain the flames to the single bus. However, the nearby bus suffered broken glass and some paint and trim melting and discoloration. The damage to the fire bus was $50,500.

January 22—Seattle Fire Investigators determined a house fire in South Seattle was accidental, caused by an overheated electrical cord. The damage estimate is $50,000.

Just after 6 a.m., dispatchers received a 911 call reporting smoke and fire showing from the windows of a 2-story home located in the 2400 block of South Graham Street. When firefighters arrived they found flames coming from the front of the house. Crews had to make forcible entry into the house. The heavy amount of flames in the living room extended up the stairs to the second floor of the house.

Fire crews found one occupant on the rear roof of the structure. A ladder company rescued the man off the second floor roof.

Firefighter’s efforts were slowed down by a large amount of combustible materials packed inside the house. The combustibles are 4 feet high, blocked the front door and made navigation of the smoke-filled home more difficult. It took more than 5 minutes to knock down the flames and 45 minutes to completely extinguish the fire.

December 31—Seattle Firefighters determined a two-alarm fire at a SODO recycling plant was an accidental fire. The cause was most likely the ignition of smoldering materials or spontaneous combustion of recycling materials.

At 10:44 p.m. on December 30, a 911 call came into the Fire Alarm Center reporting a small fire in pile of paper at the recycling center located in the 2700 block of 3rd Avenue South. The first arriving engine company found flames shooting from the roof of the metal building and a rubbish fire extending into the structure. The crew called for a full-response bringing in approximately 40 firefighters to battle the flames.

The fire extended into more than 1500 cubic yards of recycled paper and plastics. Due to the large size of the building and the large volume of fire, a second alarm was called to bring in additional resources to help control the flames. At the height of the fire, approximately 90 firefighters were on-scene battling the fire.

Firefighters used several hose lines, Engine Company deck guns and the building’s sprinkler system to control the flames. Recycle plant personnel used front loader tractors to haul 3-yard bucket loads of smoldering debris out of the piles so firefighters could wet down the embers. It took nearly 8 hours to completely extinguish the fire.

Some of the challenges the firefighters faced were several-story high smoldering recycling piles that were unstable and at a risk of collapse. Also, sub-freezing temperatures caused discharged water to freeze forming black ice around the fire scene. The ice was a fall hazard to fire crews and also made it more challenging to reposition fire apparatus around the fire scene. SDOT sent a sand truck to help alleviate the black ice hazard.

Also, King County Metro sent a Metro Bus to act as a warming station for the firefighters to rehabilitate between battling the fire on the front lines.

The damage estimate is $10,000 including damage to the fiberglass siding of the business and damage to the electrical systems. We do not have an estimate for the damage to the recycling materials.

At 5:15 p.m. on Sunday December 28, 2014 Firefighter/Dispatchers at the Fire Alarm Center received multiple 911 calls reporting a fire at a home located in the 1800 block of South McClellan Street. Neighbors knocked on the door of the home and notified the people inside that the house was on fire and to evacuate.

When firefighters arrived they found flames coming from the side of the house. The fire extended up the side of the house into the attic space. It took firefighters 15 minutes to control the flames. Due to the charring in the attic space, it took nearly 90 minutes to completely extinguish the fire.

No one was injured.

The house was empty of furniture and considered vacant. The occupants inside the home were not authorized by the owner to be staying in the house.

The damage estimate is $60,000.

The case has been referred over to the Seattle Police Departments’ Arson Bomb Squad Detectives for further investigation.

If anyone has any information on this case they are asked to call the Arson Hotline at 1-800-55-ARSON (1-800-552-7766).

]]>http://fireline.seattle.gov/2014/12/29/beacon-hill-house-fire-intentionally-set/feed/0Seattle Fire Responses to Saturday Night Wind Stormhttp://fireline.seattle.gov/2014/10/27/seattle-fire-responses-to-saturday-night-wind-storm/
http://fireline.seattle.gov/2014/10/27/seattle-fire-responses-to-saturday-night-wind-storm/#commentsMon, 27 Oct 2014 18:18:34 +0000http://fireline.seattle.gov/?p=4352October 27–Saturday’s wind storm caused an increase in emergency responses by the Seattle Fire Department. We saw a 13% increase for the day over the previous Saturday.

Between 7 p.m. and midnight, the firefighters responded to 17 Automatic Fire Alarms or Alarm Bells ringing at business and residential buildings.

At 7:40 p.m. at 4700 Ravenna Ave NE we had the first report of a transformer fire. At 7:48 p.m. we had reported of energized wires down at 34th Av S / S Hinds St. And then a flood of weather related reports came pouring in.

The Seattle Fire Department had several crews working special events including at Husky Stadium. Firefighters were held on overtime to respond to the increase in emergency responses.

Here is a breakdown of the emergency calls we responded to between 7 p.m. Saturday night and 8 a.m Sunday morning.